“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” Audrey Hepburn
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands… Even stray cats enjoy a loving hand…
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands… Love is a mom holding her twin babies – sculpture at The Met
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands… Janet Jackson makes a loving heart sign for the audience at her concert.
The first shot is one of my favorite photos taken in the french countryside. As my friends and I walked back to our quarters in a local monastery, a beautiful stray cat crossed our path, stopped, and stared at us in defiance. My girlfriend knelt down and picked him up. Her husband, you see his hands in the photo, stood there smiling away as I captured the exchange. We can help and heal each other with our hands. I’ve added direct notes to explain the other photos…
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” Maya Angelou
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands… Extend a hand of peace to all
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands… Obliging hands taken at the Botanical Garden.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands… Classic concert shot. Concert goers trying to capture Tyga on a cellphone
The lovely set of hands in the bright yellow coat belong to a young lady I saw at the Met Museum. She was wearing the brightest yellow PVC like coat, carrying an orange messenger bag, and wore a green band-aid on a finger. I loved her colors; especially that jacket/coat that reminded me of the designs of Courrèges in the 1960s… I asked for a photo and she obliged. For this challenge on Hands, I found that I had to crop photos to focus on the hands. I generally don’t take photos of the hands, even though it is one of the first body parts my eyes are drawn to after the eyes… What about you?
“Your hands, your eyes, your voice, your thoughts are your servants.” Loretta Young
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands… Vitarka Mudra: A Mudra of discussion and transmission of teachings – knowledge sharing/giving
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands… The lady at Storm King offers a thumbs up sign… and with a different finger, things could get ugly.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands… One of my kids offered this attack mode gesture … as a joke
The hands are a powerful way to communicate without words. We wave goodbye with our hands; we use it for sign language; and we have popular gestures that say all sorts of things from loving signs to curse words. The ancient gods and goddesses in India had special auspicious Mudras (hand gestures) that were pithy with meaning and blessings. In the first photo, the mudra symbolizes a transmission of knowledge. The circle symbolizes the taking of refuge as the union of method and wisdom, and the three extended fingers represent the Three Jewels of the Buddha, dharma, and sangha as the objects of refuge (about.com). Dancers use their hands to emphasis a particular dance movement and to carry the body forward in a routine… The hands don’t lie either. They show our age and the natural wear and tear of daily living. The above selections depict a message; something we can relate to. What favorite gesture do you demonstrate with your hands? More below!
